Silence is Bliss (Silence of the Sea)
by Seaweed Skull
Summary: Percy Jackson is a normal kid. For a mute. That's right, Percy was injured in an accident damaging his voice beyond repair. Now he must cope with being a teenager. In his Sophomore year, he will make enemies, fall in love and realize his true future begins with his past.
1. Introduction

So I'm making a redo of my silence is bliss. I feel like I just need to redo it because they're short and I want to change the whole plot and I can't do that just editing my stories. So, the original is going to be discontinued and this is my fresh start. ~Enjoy~

Percy

I ran down the hallway. I was going to be late for class. Again... My name is Percy Jackson by the way. I'm sixteen and pretty normal. For a mute. I'm a decent build with jet black hair swept to the side; my eyes are sea green. Anyways, I found my classroom and went into it just before the bell rang. Everyone was already situated and sitting in their chairs. Most were talking to their friends while some were rushing to get their homework done.

"Nearly late, Mr. Jackson," Mr. Brunner said to me without looking up. Mr. Brunner was a middle aged man with brown hair and a scruffy beard. He was wearing a tweed jacket and a blue sweater underneath. The most notable thing about him is that he is in a wheel chair. So in a way, he was like me.

"Take a seat, please," he said.

I found my seat and got out my blue binder ready for notes over Greek Mythology. Funny thing about this class is that it doesn't bore me to death. With my dyslexia and ADHD it get's a little hard to be interested. When I sat down I immediately was rapped on the shoulder by my cousin, Thalia Grace.

Thalia was a punk girl with black spiked hair and the regular punk type clothes. The thing that made her stand out was her fierce electric eyes that could zap you just by looking at them.

What? I mouthed to her.

"Why were you late?" She whispered.

I got kind of nervous. I knew that she knew why, but just needed confirmation.

Gabe

Gabe is my uncle. He is big, fat and smelly. The nicest thing about him was his three thin hairs that he had combed over his head as if that made him look nice. He loves to play poker, drink beer and beat the living snot out of me. So we don't really see eye-to-eye. The reason I live with Gabe is because he took custody of me when my parents died. I don't know why when all he wanted was to make my life suck.

Thalia's face became wrinkled with concern. "What'd he do this time?"

I got out my trusty clipboard that I used to talk to people because of my condition. I don't know how I lost my voice, but the doctors said it had something to do with the accident. Anyways, I began to write:

Two hours earlier…

"WAKE UP YOU LITTLE RUNT!" Gabe roared waking me out of my sleep. I sat up groggily, just sitting there waiting to fully wake up. I looked warily around my room. The walls were a stark coffee brown with occasional cracks and blood. The carpet was matted and full of dirt. It also had it's share of blood. Clothes littered the floor, along with school textbooks and notes. A single desk with a lamp sat by my plain bed. My room was sad, but it was all I had. The rest belonged to Gabe.

"BOY!" Gabe roared. "DON'T MAKE ME BEAT SOME ENERGY INTO YOU!"

I got up and stretched. I went into my closet and picked some jeans with a blue hoodie and tee shirt underneath. After I combed my hair and brushed my teeth, I made my way into the kitchen.

I walked out slowly. I knew what was going to happen when I went and faced Gabe; a world of hurt. The rest of the house was just as puny as my room. Along with twice as filthy. Beer bottles littered everywhere, along with a single leather couch that was stained with Gabe's "grease" The T.V. was small and pathetic. Probably the happiest item in the house was his poker table (which wasn't saying much).

When I went into the kitchen I was met with a porky fist in my stomach. The air was knocked out of my lungs. Before I had time to recover from the blow, Gabe already started kicking me like a soccer ball. "You want to laze around when I tell you to get up, boy?" He said through gritted teeth. I couldn't say anything. I could only take each blow. My stomach and chest burned and ached. I knew that bruises were quickly forming. Once he was finished, he spat on my face and lumbered away.

"And don't even think about eating my food," He said.

I knew that when Gabe said his food, he meant all of it. The only way I could eat was the free meal off the school lunch and breakfast, which I got for free because I said that we were too poor to be able to even eat. I even get dinner from the soup kitchen. I had no plans for college because Gabe would never pay for it. The only reason I actually go to Goode High School is because it's free.

After I got my backpack from the table, I began to leave. Before I opened the door, I looked at the time on my Spongebob watch I stole from some kid's Happy Meal. My heart dropped. The time read 7:49. It was eleven minutes before school started, and I have a mile from my house to school.

I darted out of the house and ran to school.

Present Time…

After I finished writing my morning tory, I showed Thalia. It took her a minute to read. Once she finished, I saw the grimace on her face. She was used to my tales of pain, but hated it all the same.

I knew she would tell me that I need to tell someone, but I couldn't. Gabe would go to prison, yes, but he would find me. And things would get a lot worse.

"Percy," she said. "You need to tell someone."

Told you.

I shook my head.

Before she could say anything else, Mr. Brunner rolled into the front of the classroom. "Attention class," he said. "Let's begin our lesson. Mr. Brunner started talking, but I couldn't pay attention. Instead, I focused on a blonde girl. She had stormy grey eyes. Her hair fell into perfect locks. Like a princess. She wore a red v-neck and blue denim jeans. My heart fluttered, until I noticed who she sat next to.

Luke Castellan was a blonde muscular kid. His hair was in a buzz cut, unlike my long wind-swept hair. His nose and ears were sort of elfish, but handsome all the same. He wore a black shirt that made his muscles pop and shorts even though it was the winter. Luke hated me. He treated me nice at first, but it was only to humiliate me in front of the school. After I got him back, he spent his time beating me up like Gabe.

Luke caught me staring at Annabeth and his face contorted into an angry snarl. If you don't know. Annabeth and Luke are dating, and he gets really angry at whoever looks at Annabeth in a way he doesn't like. Especially me.

He kept staring at me and I stared back. It went like this for who knows how long until Mr. Brunner cleared his throat. "Ahem, Mr. Jackson and Mr. Castellen, is there a problem?"

"No," Luke answered for both of us.

"Then please pay attention", Brunner said.

I liked Mr. Brunner. He understood me and helped me out and his class rocked, but he could make the situation worse sometimes. I could feel the stairs piercing into my skull. Not from anybody, but from Annabeth Chase herself.

When the bell rang, I rushed to my class hoping that Luke wouldn't catch me first, but as soon as I stepped out from the hallway, Luke shoved me into the locker. "You want to stare at my girl like that, Jackson?" He growled.

I kicked him in the knee and shoved him back. He growled again, but in pain and frustration. He put his fist in my face and threw me to the floor. Before he could do anymore damage, a teacher interfered. "Castellen. Jackson," he said in a gruff voice. "Principal's office, now."

We walked to the principal's office. It was a long and nervous walk because I didn't know what Luke would pull, but surprisingly, nothing. Once we got to the office. We sat in to wine red chairs.

The principal's office was strange. The carpet was a leafy green and grapes were painted on the walls. The brown desk had real grapes in a bowl, ready for eating, but the strangest thing was the principal.

Mr. Dionysus was a balding man with thin dry hair and a scruffy brown beard. His cheeks were a rosy red, suggesting that he was a drinker. He wore a hawaiian shirt and khaki's. He sat reading a magazine, not looking up. "Don't you just love grapes, Mr. Johnson?" He said boredly. He looked up when I didn't answer. "Don't talk much do you? Whatever. What are you here for this time?"

"Um, Jackson made a move on my girl-" Luke began.

"Don't care," he said. "Bye."

"But sir-," Luke tried.

"No," Mr. Dionysus said. "Bye-bye".

Luke didn't try. We both got up and left. Once we were out of sight of any teachers, he punched me hard in the face.

"Don't let me ever catch you looking at my girl like that, ever, he said and walked away. I sat on the cold ground because of his punch. I didn't get up. I just sat perplexed. Because I thought I saw something out of the ordinary. I thought I saw a flash of blonde by the library looking at me. I thought I saw Annabeth Chase staring at me.

Not too bad, eh? I hope you guys like it and as always, please favorite, follow, and review.

Like for real I need feedback. It just takes a second :P

Pece


	2. Invitation

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Percy

I sat there staring at the library windows. I was perplexed why Annabeth Chase was looking at me. Did she see what Luke did? Probably. That was why she was staring. Not because she had interest in me, but she saw what Luke does to me any second he gets. I was happy that Luke might get what was coming to him, but also sad that Annabeth didn't care about me. Why would she? I was a freak. I can't talk. Luke can talk. Everybody can talk besides Percy freaking Jackson.

With a sigh, I got up and grabbed my things. I looked around the main area of the school. It was pretty cool for a public high school. Pillars clung to white, cylinder-shaped walls that went and connected into a golden dome. The area split into five areas: the office hall, cafeteria, library and 9-12th grade hallways. I walked through the 10th grade hallway and made my way to class.

Lunch is my favorite period. I get an escape from both the nagging teachers and Luke. Plus, no Gabe! I sat with Thalia and my other cousin, Nico. Nico is in the grade below us. He is pale, small and dark haired. His clothes say "goth", but his attitude says ten year old. I love Nico the most.

We ate in silence. We usually did because we were so concentrated on eating, that we didn't have time to talk.

"So, Perce," Nico said finally breaking the silence. "How's life?"

I shrugged my shoulders and quickly started eating again. Not so much because I was hungry, but because I knew what conversation was yet to come. Nico and Thalia were more concerned about Gabe than I was. They knew what he was doing, and felt that I needed to do something. Every time I said/wrote "I will never be free from Gabe. Even if he gets taken into custody, he will get out and find me. It's pointless".

"What about Gabe?" he said. "Is he pulling anything?"

Before I could even respond, Thalia answered for me. "Things are bad," she said. "He beats him everyday, and Percy won't do anything about it. Then we have Luke making Percy's life hell at school."

I knew trying to write anything would be pointless, so I didn't.

"I know he beats him everyday, Thalia," Nico said. "But is it getting worse, Perce?"

I shook my head even though they knew I was lying. I like that they cared about me, but I wished they knew it was hopeless. I try to tell them every 30 minutes that telling someone won't help, but they just go at it.

"Percy," Nico said seriously. "I know you think that not telling someone will help, but it will".

I got up abruptly. I knew that everyone in the cafeteria was looking at me, but I left. I heard Thalia and Nico call after me, and for once, I didn't care.

"Look at him," Someone said. "His only friends are his cousins. Freak".

I walked a little faster. Tears started running down my eyes. This was my life. Constantly hearing people mutter and gossip about me. Getting beat up by Gabe and Luke. Maybe it was true. Maybe I am a freak. Maybe that's why I get bullied by everyone I know. Not Thalia and Nico. I walked out of the cafeteria and into the library.

I needed some quiet to think. I looked for the area with the chairs where people sit to read. Once I found it, I sat down and began to think. Why does everyone hate me? I know I'm a mute, but why won't they treat me like a normal person. Because I'm not normal. Sadness began to poison me. Slowly making it's way all over my body. I ached for happiness, but all I felt was sadness, and my heart was the source. I sniffed.

"P-Percy," a soft said.

I jumped. When I turned around I saw Annabeth standing behind me looking concerned. I needed was more pity.

"You alright, Percy?" She said.

I nodded my head. As much as I wanted her gone, I also wanted her to stay. I don't know why, but she had that effect on me.

"I'm sorry about what Luke did," she continued.

Of course you are.

"Are you ignoring me?" she said.

I got confused. She does know about my… situation? Everybody knows about it, but not… her. I mean, she hangs around the one guy that boasts about it to the whole school. Does she have selective hearing or something?

I got out my notebook and began to write:

I can't talk. It's impossible. I got injured as a kid in a car accident and my vocal chords got messed up, and I okay, thanks.

"Oh my god," she said. "I'm so sorry."

It's okay, I wrote.

"No it's not," she said. "When Luke said you're a mute I thought he meant you don't really talk. Luke can be a total prick and will lie about who people are to make him look good."

I scoffed. Luke's girlfriend was talking trash about him. That had to hurt.

"So what's up with you?" she said. When she saw my confused look she continued. "Like what about your parents and what do you do for fun".

My parents were killed in a car crash. My uncle took custody, but he doesn't care for me, I wrote. Also, what I do for fun is football.

"Oh my God," she said. "I'm so sorry about your parents".

I lied about the last part. I don't really have anything fun to do since Gabe doesn't allow for me to have fun, but I didn't want to sound like a total loser and football seemed like the best idea that made me sound the least bit cool. We sat in an awkward silence. I was glad that Annabeth seemed to at least care.

"Why don't you play for the school then," Annabeth said breaking the silence. "You look like you'd be good at it. With your build I mean".

I smirked at the blush that played on her face.

Yeah, maybe I will.

Annabeth really seemed cool. She wasn't a total jerk, and actually cared about me. Before we talked, I felt that only Thalia and Nico cared, but this made me happy in a long time. It gave me a feeling that I thought dead for so long. Hope. Hope that maybe things would be better. Hope that she and I could be good friends.

What do you see in Luke. No offense. I wrote.

"Luke can be a good guy," Annabeth said. I scoffed. How could Luke be a good guy? He hurts people that irritate him. He's a player and is a total idiot. He practically screams bad guy.

"I know what he does to people," Annabeth said. "I know what he does to you, but he does it to protect me. My family treated me like trash, and Luke does everything in his power to make sure I'm safe".

I felt sympathy for her. I know what it felt to have your family hurt you. To be stripped of all happiness and have it be replaced by fear. Maybe Luke wasn't such a jerk. Still a jerk, but not a big one.

Maybe he isn't a jerk after all. I wrote

Annabeth laughed. Her laugh was clear and nice. I liked it. I wished I could hear her laugh more.

"Hey, Percy," Annabeth said. "You should go to the Yankee's game with Luke and I next Friday. We got an extra ticket when we ordered some, and I you should come with us. You want to?"

I thought. I knew that if I did, then Gabe would probably kill me; if Luke didn't first. Then again, I could spend time with Annabeth. My first actual friend. I mean I know Thalia and Nico are my "friends", but they were my cousins and that doesn't really count. After a minute or two I wrote my answer.

Sure.

I heard the bell ring dismissing kids to the next period. My teacher was going to be mad, but I actually didn't care about getting into trouble for once. Annabeth on the other hand looked horrified. I knew that she was a really good student and never "skipped" class.

"Oh my god," she said. "I got to go. See you later!"

I sat there for a couple of minutes sitting there smiling. I was going to go somewhere besides home and school for once! I didn't have to be confined in the prison of my room and school. I could be free. I could do something on my own!

"Excuse me," a voice said.

I turned around and saw the old librarian standing behind me.

"You need to get to class".

I got up and grabbed my notebook. I spent the rest of the day smiling. Even when I got home and met Gabe's fist. Even when I was on the ground with bruises from my daily beating, but it stopped when I realized that I would have to sneak past Gabe to get to the game with Annabeth. I had a week in a half to plan, but tonight I wanted to not worry. Tonight I wanted to be happy, and I was.

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	3. Gabe's Beer

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**Percy**

I sat on my bed wondering about how I was going to go to the game with Annabeth and Luke. I knew that if Gabe knew I was gone without permission (and like he'd give me permission to have fun), he would kill me, so the real problem is just getting out. And surviving Gabe's punishment. I sighed. I knew that it would be impossible to get out of the house. Unless…

_When did she say the game was_? Next Friday. I had seven days exactly to get a plan to sneak out. I knew that simply trying to quietly get out of the door would be impossible because even though Gabe spent 24/7 drunk, he had ears like a hawk. I have a few scars as proof. _What if I never came home after school_? Then getting out wouldn't be a problem.

"Boy", Gabe slurred from the living room. "Get your filthy ass in here… NOW!"

I got up and walked to Gabe's pigsty. Gabe was lying on our old and molded couch. He had a beer in one hand and the remote to our crappy T.V. in the other. He looked close to sleeping or dying. I really hoped that he would die.

"I want you to go get me a 6-pack beer from the store," he muttered. "I have some… uh- cash on the counter".

I grabbed the cash and left for the store.

I knew that I wouldn't be able to buy beer from a store and get away from it. At least the wrong ones. I learned a couple years ago that you don't pull the no ID trick, you have to pay someone to do it for you. I met this dude named Mike who is around 56 years old. He's a balding brown-haired man who dresses like a homeless man. His wild beard says hobo, too.

I walked down the road of my neighborhood. My neighborhood was trashy. Houses were broken and vandalized. The "richer" ones owned a metal fence, the ones you would see at school yards. The streets were cracked and the cars ranged from Geo Prizms to Ford Escorts. Our neighborhood had only one entrance which was also our exit. It was a moldy oak wood with a rusted metal sign that read: _Manhattan Southern Downs. _I left my neighborhood with my wad of cash and headed for the big city.

As I walked along the busy streets of upper Manhattan, I looked around. The city was huge. Skyscrapers towered into the sky and cars honked and drove all around. Taxis were at every street along with huge bill boards that played songs, movie trailers and sports highlights. I wasn't here for New York's big "show". I was here to get Gabe his beer and leave.

I walked along the busy sidewalk glancing at every other store. People would shove into me and act like I wasn't there. That was New York City for you. Stubborn people who got to wherever they needed and didn't like people to literally get in their way. It was home.

Finally, I found an old convenience store at the end of the road. It was old. The windows and door was graffitied so much, that you couldn't see anything inside. Trash littered the ground in front of it, and the neon sign that once lit up the corner of the street, was dark. I leaned against the front door and waited. After several minutes I gave the glass a few hard taps.

_Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap-Tap-Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap._

I waited several minutes. Nothing happened. I was confused at why Mike wasn't here. I gave the glass the same taps again, yet he still didn't show up. I opened the door that went into the store. The abandoned building's lights were out. Rotted food lay on the floor and shelves. The convenience store had been abandoned years ago, but was left untouched because it was the home to the homeless, but unaware to the authorities, it was also a drug trade center.

After walking around, I heard a big thump in the back room. I hesitated at the sound. I had a sneaking suspicion at what was in that room. I took a couple steps forward slowly. I walked down the small hallway past the women's bathroom to the employees only door.

It was open ajar. I heard voices shouting. "-you doing with these?" an assertive male voice shouted.

"I found them on the ground," another one replied. His voice was scratchy and hoarse, like a smoker's. He sounded familiar… _Mike_!

I looked through the opening and saw three police cars. Several policemen surrounded someone who could only be Mike.

"If you won't answer now, we will make you in custody," the officer said.

"I'm innocent!" Mike yelled desperately.

"Then why did we find six grams of Methamphetamine in your pocket?"

Mike looked defeated. He knew that he couldn't get out of this. He could make the same thing over and over, but he would still be going into custody. The officer handcuffed him and began to push him into the car.

I began to walk away, but ran into a rack of paint. _Clang! Boom! _Paint cans went everywhere. Each one that hit the ground made a huge noise.

"Hey!" An officer called. "Who's there?"

I ran out of the building as fast as I could. Several things crashed, but I kept running. I darted out onto the street, the sounds of sirens behind me. Cars honked and beeped, but I kept going strong. My heart pounded with each step I took. My breath was fast and uneven, but I kept going. The sirens were getting closer. They knew it was me and were closing in.

"Sir!" A voice shouted through the police microphone. "Please stop!"

I still ran. I weaved through people on the sidewalk. I wanted more than anything for them to give up, but they kept going. I turned to see how close they were. Before I could see them, I hit something hard and crashed to the floor. My head went numb and everything was muffled and blurry.

I heard a thump and figures running to me. My wrists were cold, and I was yanked around. Then everything became dark.

_Hello?_

Everything was dark. I could hear voices and feel that I was laying on something soft, but I couldn't see. I began to panic. I was already unable to talk, but now I can see! Was I going blind?

I opened my eyes. I didn't realize that they were closed. Everything was slightly blurry at first, but everything focused in. I was lying on a small white bed. I saw a bald man with a brown beard. His blue uniform had several things on it along with a gun and a badge. The officer's face looked at me with concern. I looked to the right and saw a nurse jotting down notes. She was beautiful with her caramel hair, brown eyes and toned skin.

"How does your head feel, kid?" the officer said.

I sat there. They didn't know it was impossible for me to talk. He kept repeating the same sentence, just more frustrated each time, followed by my silence. This could go on for a while.

"John," the nurse said. "I don't think he can talk."

She handed me a pencil and a piece of paper.

"Can you write?" she asked.

I grabbed the pencil and began to write:

_Thank you. I'm actually a mute. I was in an accident that destroyed my vocal cords. What am I doing here anyways?_

"You were running from John," the nurse said. "And tripped. You have a minor concussion, nothing serious."

_Well, since it's nothing serious, can I go home?_

"Not likely," John said. "Why were you running from me?"

_I saw that old convenience store and went inside it out of curiosity. I heard voices and looked around. Once I found you arresting that guy, I started to leave to avoid trouble. I made a lot of noise and ran out of panic._

I kept my best poker face. I was totally lying, but I couldn't get in trouble with the police, much less Gabe if they told him. The two sat in silence. Soon, they started whispering to each other. They kept going for several minutes. My heart was racing the entire time. I didn't know what to do. Soon, John started to speak.

"I'm going to let you go," he said.

I started to get up from the bed when John stopped me.

"First, can you tell me your name?"

_Percy Jackson._

"You can go now, but don't let me catch you getting into anymore trouble," he said.

I got up and walked out of the room. I entered a hallway that went left and right. I went with I gut and went on the right side. I was correct as I saw an open doorway that entered the front of the police station. Several people sat on blue chairs and an old lady sat behind the receptionist desk. The office was white and reminded me of a doctor's office.

I left the building and walked out onto the street. After looking around, I found out where I was looking at the street name. I had a sudden realization. Gabe was going to kill me. How long was I out? I darted down the road. I couldn't be late.

After endless running, I finally made it to my house. My legs were shaking violently. I slowly grabbed the door knob. It took me a full minute before I turned it and opened the door. I walked inside. The lights were off and it was quiet. I walked into the living room. No one was there. I turned around to go to my room, but was met with hands around my neck.

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